Gitega, Oct 3 (ABP) – The Burundian first deputy Lord Speaker, Générose Ngendanganya, urged the new leaders of Gitega commune, in Gitega province (central Burundi), to work in accordance with the law to avoid the missteps that marked the communal councils of past legislatures.
This was during a session organized by the Burundian Senate on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, for members of the Gitega communal council, heads of communal departments, and zone leaders, with the aim of raising awareness on decentralization and the Senate’s oversight of local authorities.
The first deputy Lord Speaker stated that holding such a meeting at the beginning of the new legislative term was meant to prevent conflicts within communal leadership, deploring that such disputes had, in the past, undermined the proper functioning of certain communes. According to her, these issues stemmed from misinterpretations of the respective roles of different leaders. As a result, she regretted, this led to the unjust dismissal of communal administrators, zone and village leaders, and even members of the communal staff.
To this end, Mrs. Ngendanganya called on members of the communal council to work alongside senators to curb such misconduct, reminding them that they are all accountable to the Burundian people who placed their trust in them.
During the discussion phase, participants welcomed the initiative by the upper house of parliament to organize the session in a timely manner. “There is no doubt that this will bear fruit in the communal setting,” they assured, while also raising concerns related to the shortcomings brought about by the new territorial reorganization.
Zone chiefs expressed their wish to be granted authority to issue certain administrative documents currently handled by the commune, such as national identity cards and land certificates. They also requested means of transportation.
Some of these requests were satisfactorily addressed by the communal administrator.
As for the remaining issues, the first deputy Lord Speaker promised to reach out to the competent authorities.
In closing, she announced that such sessions would be held in all communes across the country.